Torn Apart
by Nienna Saralonde
Summary: Buffy finally realises her feelings for spike, and Xander doesnt like it...'nuf said. R&R plz


_Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I do not own!_

_Torn Apart_

"Hey! It's like I said before, no Harris man has ever had any luck with women! It's just my curse okay?" Xander waved his hands belligerently to emphasize his point. Buffy turned back to him and shot back; "What about your mom and dad?" Xander shook his head suddenly tired beyond belief. "Trust me, if they didn't need each others financial support, they'd be separated in a heart beat! There's no love there. What ever love is." Buffy frowned at that statement. "That's a pretty bleak outlook for you Xand, what's the problem?" She gripped the wooden stake tightly in her fist. The vampire they were tracking was just behind the sepulcher the two people were so loudly approaching. The vamp was a newbie-supposedly some old panhandler finally getting his due. This was supposed to be a quick job, then off to the Bronze for some quality friend time. Of course, with the vamp population on the rise, it looked as if Buffy wouldn't be getting much chill time any night soon. Then Xander poked Buffy in the small of her back. "Hey. Spike alert at 1:00." Involuntarily, Buffy's head shot up and around to her right flank. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the blonde vampire leaning against a crypt casually smoking a cigarette. But Buffy knew he was never truly casual- he could jump into action in the blink of an eye. He was possibly the most gorgeous creature Buffy had ever seen, from the blazing blue eyes to his shock of platinum hair, his chest bare under a black leather duster and black trousers made her knees positively weak and oh that accent- _wait a minute!_ She thought, violently wrenching her mind out of that place. This was SPIKE the most ungentlemanly, ungainly, and rude person in the world! What the hell was she doing- thinking of him like that? Very much disturbed she put her mind back in the present. Xander was calling her name and shaking her shoulder. "Buffy! Hello? Earth to Buff?" She turned around. "What?" Xander glared at her. "You know very well what! I can't believe you've fallen for Spike! You were mooning over him like he was friggin' Fabio or something!"

Buffy looked at him hard. "Huh? Xander, what are you talking about?"

Xander was livid. "I'm talking about the way you were staring at Spike! God Buffy, This is so typical of you." And he walked away. Buffy blinked in surprise. That was so not true! Spike was not a love interest...nope...not at all... all Buffy could think was _oh my God here he comes..._

Spike was relaxing against the side of his crypt, smoking and just havin' the time of his life...unlife...whatever. When he heard raised voices. The Harris boy was raggin' on the Slayer 'bout some guy she had gone and crushed on. He listened harder, and nearly fell over in shock. Harris had just said his name, Buffy and love in the same sentence. "What in bloody hell is goin' on here?" He muttered to himself. Could it possibly be that he'd finally got her? Could she actually have decided to- _Aw c'mon mate, don't you go getting yourself all worked up._ _She's the bloody slayer for Christ's_ _sake! _Then he watched as Xander got all pissed off and stalked away. That wasn't fair at all...not that he cared about the boy, but he did care about Buffy...and Xander'd just done his girl wrong. With a graceful push he left the wall and walked toward the paralyzed beauty. "Well, what's all this then?" He asked softly. Buffy wrenched her gaze away from the spot where Xander had disappeared. "Huh? Oh...Spike, I uh, didn't see you there." She shifted uncomfortably. Spike came up to stand in front of her. "Listen pet, the boys jus' all jealous 'cause he's had a thing for you since the early days, he'll come around. Now what's all this about me 'n you love? I could feel your eyes on me, and I know you're feelin' something." Buffy started to turn away, but Spike grabbed her arm before she could bolt. "Buffy Summers, I've lived for sodding ever, and done some bad things some of which you already know, and some that I would rather you never found out about. I've done friggin' everything...I've done things with you that I can't even spell, but the honest to god truth is that I've never been close to anyone, least of all you. But jus' now, we connected..."His eyes welled up, and he turned away. "God, I'm such a jerk, I can't do this." Buffy reached for his leather clad shoulder. "Spike. Yes you can. It's hard yeah, but I think we both need to hear this." Spike turned back to her and continued. "I follow my blood Buffy, and it doesn't always rush in the direction of my brain. But one thing I'm sure of," He looked up at his angel girl's face and was surprised to see her crying. "You're one hell of a woman." Buffy met his eyes, blue to blue. Her face shone in the moonlight, and Spike gathered her into his arms. His unbeating heart (if it had been possible) was pounding with joy, at accomplishing his one goal in life, to make her see what was in his heart, in his soul.

Xander watched the proceedings from the shade of the forest...his fists clenched and his eyes blazing hatred for the man, nay, the monster that had won his Buffy's heart. Damned vampire. Xander was so tired of the constant heartache that these things brought upon his friend. And he vowed silently, there in the dark that this would not happen with Spike, he would die first.

Three Days Later...

It was 9:00 at night, and Buffy had the evening off. The Bronze was packed as always, and Willow's boyfriend Oz, was playing a set with his band _Dingoes Ate My Baby_. She smiled as she watched Willow dancing with her friends from the Wicca group she now so fearlessly lead, and jumped as two arms encircled her waist. "Wha the he-" Her eyes got big and she smiled widely as she caught a whiff of Spike's cologne. "Hey you." She purred leaning back into his embrace. "Evenin' love, what's say we go kill ourselves some baddies hmmm?" He whispered in her ear. Buffy spun around in his arms. "Nope. I'm officially off duty tonight. I intend to waste this evening on drinks dancing and really hott guys...like that one over there..." Spike whipped around so fast he got dizzy. Buffy laughed. "I wasn't serious you dope!" He turned around and glowered at her. "Ha friggin' ha. Ok then, what shall we do first? Uh oh, we have a problem love." Buffy turned to see Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, and (oh great) Giles making a beeline for the newly formed couple. Willow and Tara were beaming, Anya was uninterested and Giles and Xander were angry. Buffy rolled her eyes at the group. "Hey guys, what's the haps'? Not that I really want to know." Willow was practically dancing around in little circles for joy. "Oh, my, Goddess! I honestly didn't think it would happen! So so happy!" Tara smiled and hugged Buffy. "Good luck. I honestly hope this one works out for you." Buffy's smile broadened, and she laced her fingers through Spikes. "Honestly, I have a good feeling about this one." Xander snorted loudly. "Yeah, you said the same thing about Angel, and Parker, and Riley, and look where they got you, NOWHERE!" Then, tough guy Alexander leapt from his position onto Spike, at the same time, landing a solid punch across the Vampires jaw. Spike's head hit the floor and he saw little blue and black stars across his field of vision. He slugged Xander back and the chip in his head gave him what for. Buffy was screaming at Xander to stop, but he would hear none of it. All the while he was muttering, "Think you could get to me through her huh? Stupid animal, all you think about is yourself; no way could you care about her like we do, like I do." Buffy'd had enough of this. She shoved herself between the scrapping men and heaved Xander off of Spike. "Stop it! What the_ hell_ are you trying to do you idiot?" He only looked at her, a mixture of pain, sorrow, and anger in his eyes. He yanked out of her grip and ran from the club. Buffy stared after him for a moment, and then turned to Spike. His face looked like it had been hit by a freight train. She winced as he struggled to get up. When he finally did, she cast one last glance at the people she had thought of as her friends. Anya was still bored; Willow was shocked as she supported Spike from the other side, and Giles. Giles was the final blow. He stood there as if nothing was going on, chatting idly with a waiter, all the time avoiding her gaze. When she called his name, he turned and fixed her with his patented Giles look. "Buffy, this is the worst thing I've ever encountered of you. Xander is dead on, in every measure. You had a relationship with Angel that brought you to your knees. This will completely destroy your life, as a slayer, as a champion, but most of all, as a Slayer. And let this be known, as long as this mockery of a joke goes on, you are no longer my Slayer." And with that, he turned and made like Xander out the door. Spike was nearly unconscious and Buffy was on the verge of tears. Willow saw that she was the only one here of sound mind to direct her friends. "Buffy, Come on, we have to get Spike back to your place or he's going to bleed to dust." Her friend nodded faintly and they moved out into the darkness. Twenty minutes later, Spike was lying on Buffy's bed, near-delusional and in pain. He could feel her there; smell her perfume- apple blossoms. He moved his hand to hers and grasped it as tight as his condition would allow... basically, he just covered hers with his. He forced the words out through bruised and broken lips. "S'alright luv, I've bin' though worse scrape's than this before...can't think of any right now but..." She leaned over and brushed his blond hair away from his face. "Ssh, you need to rest. Go to sleep." And he did.

_The Same Evening...2 hours earlier_

"_Stop it! What the hell are you trying to do idiot?" The voices carried on the wind to the woman's ears. She frowned slightly, turning her head to catch the sound better. Her chocolate brown hair contrasting sharply with her pale skin. Was that the slayers voice she heard? "So...the Slayers got a problem with her friends does she? Well, all the easier to destroy her with- wait who's that? Bleach blonde hair, blue eyes...Spike? What was he doing...oh. Oh, well...that's just about the worst thing I have ever seen oh, she'll pay. She will SO pay..." And Drusilla, the vampire that had once held Williams heart, swept away into the darkness._

The next Morning...

"Hey. You're up early." Buffy smiled at a half awake Spike. "Here, I've got your blood ready to go. You're gonna stay here for a while, until things calm down with Xander a-and Giles." Her voice cracked at the mention of her longtime mentor's betrayal. Spike reached out and took her hand. "Buffy, they either accept it or they don't. If they truly are your friends, they'll come around. And if not...well, you've got Faith, Dawn, Willow, Oz, Tara, Anya, the potentials, and most of all, you've got me. That's gotta count for somthin', right?" Buffy smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him. "It count's for a lot. So, what are we gonna do now?" Spike frowned, thinking. "Well, what about looking over the plans to deal with the First? We still don't know where it's keeping this massive army that it continues to gloat about." Spike downed the last drops of his blood, and stood up. Then in one fell motion, he scooped Buffy up and whisked her off to her bedroom. "Why don't we discuss that here? The_ here_ was accented by Spike dropping Buffy on the down comforter. "What are you doing?" She laughed. Spike collected the notes from her dresser and curled up beside her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sifted through the pieces of loose-leaf. "Okay, here's a thought, what about the Bronze? I mean, it's not huge from the outside but Willow was telling me about this spatial alteration spell thingy and- okay fine," she glared at him off his skeptical look. "Maybe not. What about you smart guy? Any Ideas?" Spike stroked her hair as he thought. "Nothing yet comes to mind...although, that vineyard must mean something, or Caleb and the First wouldn't be protecting it so fiercely. But I can tell you right now, suggesting another attack would not fly with the girls. Not one bit." Buffy shut her mouth, as she was going to suggest another attack on the vineyard. Sighing she snuggled deeper under the covers. At dusk, we'll go scope it out." And with that she fell asleep.

That evening, Buffy was prepping for her little Vineyard recon mission. Spike whirled his sword experimentally around his head, earning him a glare from Buffy. "You know, every piece of this house has been broken and replaced. Don't make it happen again." Spike smiled. "Yeah, alright." As he and Buffy were getting ready to head out the door, Kennedy came bouncing down the stairs, closely followed by Dawn. "Hey," She greeted them, "Where are you guys off to?" She looked them up and down. "Obviously not for a date...unless your idea of the perfect date includes a full arsenal of weapons?" Buffy took a swipe at the younger woman. It wasn't meant to be an actual punch, so Kennedy smiled and hit back. Soon, the two girls were engaged in an all out sparring match that would have carried on for a good hour or so, until Spike got in between them and broke it up. "Buff, if we don't go now, we never will. And I for one can think of many better ways to spend my time than stalking a chauvinistic priest." He leered at his girlfriend who groaned and placed a phial of holy water into his coat pocket. "Nice try." She spun around, gave her younger sister a quick hug and walked off into the darkened streets, with Spike right at her side. As soon as they were out of earshot Spike grabbed Buffy's arm and spun her around. "Finally!" He whispered in her ear. "A moment for just us." He leaned in and kissed his Goddess. She relaxed and leaned against his shoulder as they continued to walk. They hadn't gotten three meters into Shady Hill Cemetery when a vampire shot out of the bushes and onto Buffy's back. Startled, the Slayer did not have time to react. So Spike grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him away. After exchanging a few punches with the still unknown vamp, Spike got the upper hand. With a monumental burst of Vampire strength he shoved the other demon against a wall of a mausoleum. The clouds parted and silver light fell across the attackers face. Spike released "him" in shock. "Drusilla?"

At Giles' Apartment...

Xander stalked the length of Giles's living room, brooding on the current Buffy/Spike mess. Of course, this was no major incident- it was all he'd _been _doing for the last two and a half days, and Anya was getting very annoyed. "Xander, if you're gonna pace all night then go do it somewhere else. You're not paying any attention to me, and we need to find out who's doing all this damage to public property." Sighing Xander sat down and put his arm around his fiancée's shoulders. "Sorry Ahn, I just can't seem to relax, knowing that Buffy is out there with the peroxide prince. As a matter of fact, I bet they're having fun right now....

"Spike! Wall!" Buffy's warning came too late, and William smacked headlong into the concrete wall of the building behind him. Dazed and confused, he tried to get up. He had almost succeeded, when Drusilla launched herself at him. She kneeled atop his chest and raised a stake above his heart. "Uh, Buffy? A little help please?" Spike shouted to the slayer. Buffy was getting up from underneath the garbage cans Dru had hit her with. Shaking off the last few cartoon birdies, she tackled Drusilla to the ground. Hey, that's my territory you're trespassing on demon bitch! Drusilla rolled with the punch, and came up snarling. She flew at Buffy, trying to rip her throat out. Spike made to grab her, but Buffy gave the crazy vamp a solid snap kick to the solar plexus that sent her careening backwards. "What's wrong Drusilla?" Buffy simpered, "Can't handle a little competition?" Dru threw a hard right cross that cracked across Buffy's jaw. "You li'l slut! Taking my Big Bad away from me, you smell like roses and rot." As Buffy tried to puzzle that out, Spike pushed Dru up against the wall again, but this time his demeanor was different. He leaned in close enough to smell her hair, and stroked the side of her face. He looked tenderly into her eyes and said, "Dru, luv, get bent." He threw her away and she fell to the ground. "Come near Buffy or me again, and I'll stake you so fast your head will spin. Comprende?" Drusilla stared hard at him for a long moment, and then whirled away into the darkness. Panting, Buffy touched the bruise on her face, wincing slightly at the shock of pain that spasmed through it. "I think she broke it!" Concerned, Spike leaned over it. Suddenly, he was facing her jugular vein. It was just...there. And for some reason he was transfixed by it. He ran his fingers lightly over the scars left from the only person to ever drink form her, Angel. Angel- the only one that Buffy had ever truly loved, and the one that every guy after him had to live up to. Coming to his senses, he smiled grimly, and kissed the scar. "I love you Buffy, and I swear I'll never let anything happen to you like this again. On this you have my word. Buffy pulled back from him slightly, and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "Hey, what's with the tears? I know that. I don't need protection, but I do need you." Spike turned away from her to compose himself. Buffy came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Come on, we've got ourselves an evil priest to kill. Pulling him with her, they bled into the night.

At the Vineyard...

Caleb strode through the relatively cool darkness of the underground chambers. His goal was a tall willowy woman standing on a cliff outcropping looking out over the Bringers work stations. She was blonde and wore a black leather Corset that accented everything about her that made her female. The look was completed with a pair of ultra-low rider blue jeans. Her skin was a soft café au lait color, and her eyes crystal blue. The spitting image of the worlds current Slayer. Caleb stood behind her, and inhaled deeply. She smelled of Roses...his favorite flower. Which was ironic, as the rose was a symbol of womanhood, and what were women other than dirty? But hey, his whole life was one big irony... smiling he turned to the apparition beside him. "So, how are we doing?" "Buffy" smiled thinly as she looked out over the chasm. "As well as can be expected." She shifted her weight to glance over at her acolyte. "And you? What of your plans for the slayer?"


End file.
